TheDebtSlayer

Last week I discussed my friend who is–in a sense–selling his body to science. Discussions ensued with my girlfriend and other friends. The question came up: Exactly how far would you go to sell your body to science? I was surprised that we all had different boundaries.

I, for one, will not sell my body to science. I am not comfortable with participating in research studies–especially the research studies that I see on craigslist. I know that $2000 is a sizable amount of money, but I wonder if any of these research studies will have unintended consequences down the road.

During the week, a friend admitted that–at points during college–he would sell his sperm. Yeesh. He said he made good money, but I can’t imagine the possibility of having Little Jimmy’s running around out there. And, one day, Big Jimmy is going to come knocking on his door. Big Jimmy II, III, IV may be right behind him, too.

(Although, I have to say: I sometimes with I was a woman. Women can sell their eggs for tens of thousands of dollars. Incredible. But, the above issue remains: what happens when, down the road, a person arrives at your door and calls you “mom?”)

So, I discovered that there are definite limits to my desire to find extra income. Possible health hazards or unknown offspring are areas that I don’t want to invite into my life.

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I am in debates. I had coffee with a friend this past weekend. We were talking about the economy and how tight things are financially right now for–it seems like–nearly everyone we know. I shared with him the fact that I had started this blog and that I was forever coming up with new and exciting ways to make money. I told him about how I knocked on doors to find lawns to mow; how difficult it was; how I had to swallow my pride a bit.

His response: “That’s nothing. I stand naked in front of people for money.”

What? What? What? I was preparing myself to hear that he had a secret life of a stripper. Thankfully, that was not the case because, well, that would have been awkward.

I found out that he helps fledgling doctors learn how to have good bedside manners. So he gets “fake” exams and provides them with helpful feedback. The guy makes $75/hour for two to four hour gigs twice a month.

Who knew that there were all of these money-making opportunities?

If you don’t mind REALLY swallowing your pride and standing naked in a room full of strangers, then perhaps you should call medical schools in your area to see if they need…um…teachers?

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Sigh. Another area where I wish I could make a ton of money, but I just don’t know any families in my neighborhood. A friend of mine is in her early 30s. She is working one job, but she decided to venture out into the babysitting world on one random afternoon. She looked at Craigslist ads in the city of San Francisco and was floored at what she found.

People were paying $25/hr for a babysitter. Twenty-five dollars an hour.

My friend was already CPR certified so she met the qualifications of many families. She has decided to spend every other weekend babysitting. She devotes her Friday and Saturday nights to watching infants or toddlers and can make upwards of $400 some weekends. It is ridiculous.

I am starting to hate my friends (just kidding). I am actually really proud of them: they are looking to make money anywhere they can, too!

Can you fault them?

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I admit it. I’m jealous. I see a friend of mine making money and I wish I could do what she was doing.

She has an extra room in her house that she is renting out to a college student. I wish I had the space. I wish I had the space. I wish I had the space.

Now, of course, this can be a tricky area. And, like many things in life, all that glitters is not gold. There are probably some laws that she needs to be (or is already) aware of. There are probably some minor issues that are more of a nuisance than she originally expected.

But with the market rates in this area, wow. I wish I had an extra room to rent out. I have the luxury right now. No kids. No pets. Only a significant other to worry about. (I wonder if it would be different if I had children running around. Probably.)

Bottom line: She is charging $825/month. Sub-market by 10%. I am jealous…

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I approach the “garage sale” the same way I approach my relationship with Los Angeles: I love them and I hate them. Equally. At the same time.

On one hand, garage sales are a convenient way to unload objects that have spent years cluttering your life. They allow you to make money off of things that have been taking up space in your closet, on your shelves, or in your drawers. They also allow you to have contact with people in your neighborhood (a rarity these days).

They are not, however, easy work. I think they are incredibly time consuming. The days are long and hard. And, if the weather is not cooperating, the days can be downright miserable. Below are a few tips to help you run a successful garage sale.

1. Develop A Plan–Like most things I talk about, I think developing a plan is crucial to the success or failure of any experience in life. Garage sales can be chaotic, with people coming and going, grabbing items, stuffing them in your face and demanding a lower price (yes, even lower than the $0.25 that is posted).

2. Stay Organized — Just make sure that the detailed plan does not crumble once the first customer arrives. Stay organized throughout the weekend.

3. Haggle and have fun — Look, stay flexible. Your goal is to get rid of these items and make a few extra bucks in the process. Don’t haggle over a dime. If someone offers you 60-80% of the sticker price, I say “deal!”

So, I was planning on having a garage sale this weekend and posting the profit I made.

Mother Nature, however, had different plans.

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I know that one of the tenets of debt reduction is to spend less than you make. I was tracking my spending for the past few months. It is a habit that I fell into long before I started this blog. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to get a handle on their spending.

But beware: you are going to continue discovering things about your spending habit that you thought were old news. Issues that you thought were long dead come back from the grave.

I tallied up my last week spending and I realized that, once again, I am spending more money than I am making. Ugh. Those emergencies will sneak up on you! ARGH!

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One of the best ways to get out of debt is Dave Ramsey’s mantra: Sell your stuff! But it goes hand-in-hand with my mantra of trying to eliminate the clutter, chaos, and crap from my life. I really am trying to embrace a lifestyle of simple living.

Reducing the debt involves a radical commitment. And I am just now beginning to understand exactly what a commitment it is. I am going to go around the house and figure out what can be sold, what can be given away, and what needs to be kept. Although I have some anxiety facing me in terms of trying to get rid of all of this stuff, I am incredibly inspired in my attempt to move this stuff out of my house.

Hopefully, the debt will move along with it.

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A couple of weeks ago, when I started this blog, I knew I would be sharing with any readers who found this site new and exciting ways to make money online and in the real world. I am surprised at how easy the process has become. There really are money making opportunities all around.

However, there are some secrets to making sure that you will, in fact, make money.

1. Create a Plan – Have some sort of idea of what you want to do to make money. Understand your limitations and try to work through them. For example, it was difficult for me to swallow my pride and mow my neighbors’ lawns. But now that I have taken that first step, it will be easier the next time.

2. Stay Focused — I think it is too easy to get caught up in the “easy” money making promises of the internet. Too many individuals out there want to separate you from your money. They want to charge you a manageable amount of money to learn how to set up a “turnkey” business and make “six figures” online. Don’t fall for the hype. The only way they make six figures online is by selling false promises. So, stay focused. Instead of looking for the “easy” money, aim for the known variables.

3. Is It Worth It? — Decide if it is worth your time and energy? Will it negatively impact your quality of life to such a degree that you will be even more miserable than you were yesterday? If it is not worth it, then simply move on to the next money-making idea. But the key here is to move on. Do not lament that things are hard or that things are below you. If this is your attitude, chances are you will remain financially strapped for the rest of your life.

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I know that people tell you to get money in your emergency fund, but if you are on such a tight budget, how do you find the money to set aside $1000? I know that personal finance gurus talk about establishing a baby emergency fund before you can pay down your debt. And I know that they suggest to put as much away as you can (in other words, if you can’t put $1000 away, then aim to put away $500).

But I am stuck in the difficult stage. Every time I try to set some money aside, every time I get a “little extra” to put away, somethign always comes up. An expense. A bill. A parking ticket.

Sometimes it seems like you’ll never get ahead. But that’s where I have to keep plodding on and keep working through the struggle.

I know I can save the emergency fund. And I know that I can pay off my debts.

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In my ever continuing quest to make money–and share my thoughts with the world–I decided a couple of weeks ago to give Elance a try. For those of you who are not familiar with Elance, it is a website that allows individuals to offer their freelancing services in multiple areas: web design, writing, computer programming (to name a few).

MONEY MAKING OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND

If you are even remotely technically savvy, you might want to take a look at Elance. There are a ton of open offers ranging from detailed computer programming, to website coding, to simple business writing. I was able to find a project that needed some writing to be done, as well as the creation of a simple worksheet.

It would be worth your time to head over to the site. (Please note, there are no affiliate links through to the site, so I am not making money on sending you there. In fact, I am only trying to make YOU  money by mentioning the site!)

HARD TO GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR

It is, however, difficult to “get in the door.” Many individuals only like to work with providers that have a proven track record. I think I was able to get around this because I do have an Elance history. I have posted some bids, requested some work, and hired two elancers at some point last year. Individual users were able to see that I paid on time and–like ebay–I received positive feedback from each elancer.

I was able to pocket a bit of cash from this last project. $150 to be exact.

ELANCE EARNINGS: $150

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